Many products and services may be provided to users or buyers in locations or situations that require payment automation at the point of sale. In such locations, having a cashier to handle payments may not be feasible or desirable. Thus, a point of sale (PUS) device may automatically accept and handle payments of users/buyers and may also handle dispensing or providing the product or service to the user/buyer. Example POS devices include vending machines (e.g., that dispense beverages and snacks), pay-for-use printers, network access points (e.g., that provide WiFi access to users), movie rental kiosks, and parking kiosks, Some POS devices may accept and handle cash as a form of payment. Some POS devices may accept and handle credit cards, debit cards and the like.
Sellers that sell products and services via POS devices are often selling smaller products and services, often for a small price. In some situations, a seller may sell products and services for a very small price, e.g., referred to as a “micro-transaction.” Micro transactions may range in price, for example, from a couple of dollars down to one cent ($0.01). Such sellers may depend on a very large number of transactions to make a profit. Various sellers (and POS devices) may require payment in cash, for example, because the profit made by the seller on each transaction is not enough to overcome transaction fees incurred for credit card payments and the like.
Various online users (e.g., buyers and sellers) may use various payment services (e.g., Paypal) to make the process of paying for goods and services online easier and more secure. Such payments services may allow a user, after the user registers with the service, to store payment information (e.g., credit card information), and then the user may transfer money to other users of the same payment service.